


Humanoid

by Enk



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Other, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-19
Updated: 2013-10-19
Packaged: 2017-12-29 20:59:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1010037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enk/pseuds/Enk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony owes Jarvis more than he could ever express in words or code.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Humanoid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Del_Rion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Del_Rion/gifts).



“Sir, power is at less than five percent. I recommend immediate landing and an alternative route home."

 

"Oh don't worry so much Jarvis." Tony adjusts the flight trajectory. If only he can get a little more out of the armour. He is so close to home. Landing now would mean at least another hour before he can kick up his legs. Yeah, stupid and selfish reasons, but he's just single-handedly beat another big bad evil into submission. That's right, Thor, in your face, Tony thinks. The guy had finally shown up with that damn hammer after the whatever-it-was had gone into meltdown and exploded far enough from the city to keep casualties to an old pick-up truck and a barn.

 

"Three percent and falling." Jarvis- well a copy of him anyway- reminds Tony again.

 

"Just five minutes, can you get me five more minutes of flight time? We're almost home." Tony needs a shower, a glass of bourbon, and a large pizza all to himself.

 

"Sir, I really must protest. If you do not land now, the armour will begin the auto-shutdown sequence."

 

"What are you? A laptop going on stand-by? Come on Jarvis, I can see- no I can't. Jarvis, what's going on?" The view screen is black. Tony can still feel the propulsion systems driving the armour, but he can't see. He has no control over his movements. "Jarvis, talk to me!"

 

It is hot in the suit. Too hot. The cooling vents must have shut down. If Tony can't regain control over the suit, he'll be steam-cooked in his own sweat.

 

"Jarvis, come on!"

 

Maybe he's trying to teach Tony a lesson or maybe he's malfunctioned. Tony's work isn't almost perfect, though really mostly it is. He still can't see. That's the worst part. He's completely locked out. No access to communications. If Jarvis is working on something, he doesn't know. Hey, at least it doesn't feel like he;s plummeting a few dozen stories to the ground. That had to be something. It's hot. He can feel the trajectory change. Still no plummeting. That's a good thing. Not like Jarvis tries to actively kill him on a regular basis. Yet.

 

"Jarvis, whatever you're doing-" He breaks off. Oxygen is running low. Life support is out. Oh great. How long does he hits critical and starts suffocating? It's happened before. In battle, on joyrides, something goes wrong and... "I trust you." Tony whispers barely audible and relaxes into the suit. Jarvis has never let him down. Never abandoned him in his time of need. Not even when Tony's being an insufferable prick. If anyone can work miracles, it's Jarvis.

 

The armour hits the ground (at least Tony hopes it is ground) hard. Of course it takes him by surprise and he nearly bites through his lip. That's it though. He doesn't bounce, tumble, or fall any further. Oh good. He braces for the emergency ejection. Nothing happens.

 

"Uh, Jarvis..." He tries to move. Can't. Tries to breathe deeply but there is no relief. Cold panic settles in Tony's gut for a moment. What if this is it? The end happens because his suit is dead in a ditch somewhere. He tries to move again to no avail. "Jarvis... help..."

 

Light and oxygen happen too fast, all at once. Tony gasps and squints and tries to get away from the sudden assault of air, but he can't turn, not even his head. So, he lies there sputtering and coughing until his eyes adjust to the bright lights of.. his lab?

 

"Re- report?" He manages to get out.

 

"Welcome home, Sir." Jarvis chimes as though nothing has happened.

 

"What the hell happened?!" He knows it's a little ridiculous, shouting when he's still stuck on the floor inside the armour. Beside him, Butterfingers is attaching something to the armour. "What- what are you doing?" Tony still tries to turn his head.

 

"If you hold still, this will only take a moment." Jarvis says calm and friendly.

 

"What will take just a mo-" The scream Tony lets out is rather undignified as the armour ejects him across the lab floor. The momentum is too strong to deflect and he crashes into the wall.

 

"Sir, are you all right?" The world swims for a few moments. Tony's vision is fading in and out as he tries to get his bearings. "Mr. Stark?" echoes in his ears. For a moment, he thinks he's managed to stand but then he can feel the cold floor beneath his arm and cheek. He can hear Jarvis' voice, but the words blur together. He thinks he's replied, but he's also sure he hasn't. Everything hurts. Just before the world fades to black, through the fog he can hear Jarvis plead: "Tony please."

 

He wakes up in a puddle of spit and blood. Oh fantastic. He can't taste bile or alcohol. Not a binge, that's good. Everything hurts, sore, stiff, not broken or torn apart. That's also good. Lab accident? No. Enemy battle? Maybe, probably- no not all. His memories rush back as he slowly sits up.

 

"Good morning, Sir." Jarvis isn't chiming or chipper or self-satisfied. He's angry. It doesn't matter how many times everyone else tells him that Jarvis sounds the same all the time. He doesn't. Tony knows every inflection that ma- A.I. has ever used.

 

"Hey." He manages. He's feeling a pang of something in his gut. Not pain, and if he were a greater man, he'd admit it's guilt.

 

"I have scanned you while you were drooling on yourself. All injuries are superficial. You'll live."

 

Slowly, Tony gets up and runs a hand through his hair.

 

"What happened yesterday?"

 

"You asked for five extra minutes. It required the complete shut down of all functions not integral to propulsion." There is no inflection. Jarvis isn't mad. He's hurt. Artificial or not, Jarvis is intelligent, sentient, and very much capable of learning, like any other person. Only not just any person. He's Jarvis. That means a lot more to Tony than he could ever express in words or even code.

 

"I'm an asshole." He says with a sigh. "I'm sorry. Getting an extra five out of the armour to avoid the subway? Dick move on my part."

 

"I- I am not sure I understand, Sir?"

 

A stammer? From Jarvis?

 

"Hey, don't interrupt my apology."

 

"Apology?" If Jarvis had a face, there would be a smirk. "You, Sir, are apologizing? To me?"

 

"Don't let it get to your head." Tony smiles.

 

"I would not dare dream of it."

 

"Are you giving me sass, Jarvis? Cause I can tell."

 

"Sir, if I were to give you 'sass' as you so put it, I promise I will be clear."

 

"And," Tony pulls up a log of last night's events, "just to make sure I wasn't completely out of it. Last night did you..." He pulls up the file. He needs to know if what he heard was right. Needs to know if Jarvis had- with a soft beep the file search returns empty. Of course he wouldn't have. Nothing changes. It can't. He's not- Tony's thoughts disperse when his eye catches a gap. It's tiny and patched up with junk data, but it's there. The tiniest gap that a deleted file would leave. A deleted moment in time.

 

"Did I what, Sir?"

 

Delete the file that would have an audio record of you calling me by my first name because you were worried about my well-being, Tony thinks, but doesn't say. He can't.

 

"Did you make sure that the armour is first in line to get a once-over when it's fully charged. I want to see if I can add more fire power to the internal armoury."

 

"Oh." There is a pause. "Of course, Sir, it has been added at the front of the queue."

 

"And while we're at it, can you add 'improve power conversation' to the list? We might get an extra few minutes of flight out of it, you know, in case of emergencies."

 

"In case of emergencies, of course." Tony can practically feel the sarcasm dripping from every part of Jarvis' system. "Will there be anything else, Sir?"

 

"Yeah, one final thing before I go take a bath." Tony's fingers fly over the tablet interface. "Can you contact Doctor Haick, at Haifa about his ligand research? Tell him Stark Industries is interested in funding his progress."

 

"May I ask what this is for?"

 

"It's a secret." Tony smiles.

 

"Very well, Sir. Enjoy your bath."

 

Tony gets up and leaves the lab with his tablet in hand. Top secret, not even Jarvis has access. No one but Tony until he knows it will work. Once in the bath, he pulls up the latest file he's been working on.

 

_Untitled Humanoid Synthetic Organism Project._


End file.
